Simulated head lamps for toy vehicles



May4, 1965 B. F. WITHAMS 31 SIMULATED HEAD LAMPS FOR TOY VEHICLES Filed April 1, 1963 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2.

BNVENTOR 51 F h/hf/lams P/W/w m'roaw EY y 1965 B. F. WlTHAMS 3,181,271

SIMULATED HEAD LAMPS FOR TOY VEHICLES Filed April 1, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 5. E W/f/Iams ATTORNEY United States Patent SIMULATED HEAD LAMPS FOR TOY VEHICLES Brian Francis Withams, Kingston upon Thames, England, assignor to The Mettoy Company Limited Filed Apr. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 269,306 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Apr. 16, 1962, 13,303/ 62 Claims. (Cl. 46-202) This invention provides means whereby particular parts of toys can be made to appear as light sources, without the provision of any source of light within the toy. For example some of the light from an external source (natural or artificial) which falls upon a model car can be collected and emitted at points representing the headlamps of the car, which thus appear to be illuminated.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a toy including a hollow opaque body formed with two openings, and a member of transparent material extending internally of the body between the said openings, light reaching one end of the said members at one of the openings being transmitted through the member with internal reflection and emitted at the other end of the member through the other opening.

Some embodiments of the invention are described below, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical cross section of a model car;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the model car;

FIGURES 3 and 4 are side and plan views of another model car;

FIGURES 5 and 6 are side and plan views of yet another model car; and

FIGURE 7 is a side view of a further model car.

The model car shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 has a hollow opaque body 1 of die cast construction, formed with a number of openings, including a pair of headlamp openings 2 and a roof light opening 3. Located within the hollow body 1, is a transparent member 4, conveniently moulded from a clear synthetic resin material. The member 4 is formed with two arms 6, of circular cross-section, which at their forward ends project through the respective headlamp openings 2. The arms extend rearwardly and upwardly in a smooth curve, converging and uniting near the rear, upper end of the member, this end projecting through the roof light opening 3.

Light from above the model which reaches the rear end of the member 4, at the roof light opening 3, is transmitted through the member with internal reflection and emitted at the headlamp openings 2, from the forward ends of the arms 6, giving the appearance of illuminated headlamps.

In the modification shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the transparent member 4 is integral at its rear end with a thin walled, plate-like shell 7 which covers windscreen and side and rear window openings in the body, so as to simulate glazing in those openings. Some of the light reaching the rear window is transmitted through the arms 6 and emitted at the headlamp openings 2.

In a similar embodiment (not illustrated), the arms 6 are integrally joined at their rear ends by a cross bar which is shaped to represent a dashboard positioned just below the windscreen opening so as to collect light passing through that opening.

In each of the above described constructions, the arrangement of the transparent member 4 can of course be duplicated at the rear end of the car so that light is transmitted to openings representing rear lamps. The transparent member 4 can be formed with facets, in place of smooth curves, to ensure internal reflection of light within the member.

In the model car illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6 a single transparent member 4 is formed with a vertical stem Fatented May 2-, 1965 10 leading from a roof light opening 3, and which is bifurcated to form forwardly and rearwardly extending portions 11 and 12. These portions are in their turn divided to form arms 13 and 14 leading to headlamp openings 2 and rear lamp openings 15, respectively. Facets I6, 17, 18, 19 and 2d ensure adequate internal reflection of light at the angles of the transparent member. If desired the facets 20 may be dyed red so as to give a red light at the rear lamp openings 15.

The model car shown in FIGURE 7, is provided with two transparent members in the form of straight rods 21,

7 each of which leads from a headlamp opening 2, to a rear lamp opening 15, so that light can be transmitted from the front to the rear of the vehicle, or vice versa. Instead of leading to rear lamp openings, the rods 21 could be integrally joined at their rear ends by a transverse member representing, for example, a number plate.

While the invention has been described above in its application to model cars, it can be applied, with suitable modifications, to toys of difierent characters.

I claim:

1. A toy vehicle including a hollow opaque body formed with two openings in the outer surface thereof, one of which is located in the normal position of a lamp on said vehicle and the other of which is positioned at a point which normally receives a more intense radiation of ambient light, and a member of transparent material which internally reflects light and extends internally of said body between said openings with an end adjacent each of them, whereby ambient light reaching said member through the other of said openings is transmitted through said member and emitted through said one opening to simulate the appearance of a lighted lamp at the position.

2. A toy vehicle including a hollow opaque body formed with at least two openings in the outer surface thereof, at least one of which is located in the normal position of a lamp on said vehicle and another of which is positioned to admit light falling vertically upon the vehicle, and a member of transparent material which internally reflects light and extends internally of said body between said openings with an end adjacent each of them, whereby ambient light reaching said member through the other of said openings is transmitted through said member and emitted through said one opening to simulate the appearance of a lighted lamp at that position.

3. A toy vehicle in accordance with claim 2, in which the said member is divided intermediate its ends to form two divergent limbs, each of which extends to a different opening occupying the normal position of a lamp.

4. A toy vehicle in accordance with claim 2, wherein the end of the said member adjacent said other opening is shaped to form a plate-like portion which covers that opening to simulate glazing.

5. A toy vehicle including a hollow opaque body having an opening therein positioned to represent a roof light, and two openings positioned to represent headlamps, and a moulded member of transparent synthetic resin material within said body, said member having a rear end portion extending through said roof light opening, and two forwardly diverging limbs each extending from said roof light opening to a different one of said headlamp openings, said limbs being smoothly curved so that light reaching the rear end of said member will be transmitted through said limbs by internal reflection and be emitted through said headlamp openings.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,198,443 4/40 Paul et al 2408.41

. RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TOY VEHICLE INCLUDING A HOLLOW OPAQUE BODY FORMED WITH TWO OPENINGS IN THE OUTER SURFACE THEREOF, ONE OF WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE NORMAL POSITION OF A LAMP ON SAID VEHICLE AND THE OTHER OF WHICH IS POSITIONED AT A POINT WHICH NORMALLY RECEIVES A MORE INTENSE RADIATION OF AMBIENT LIGHT, AND A MEMBER OF TRANSPARENT MATERIAL WHICH INTERNALLY REFLECTS LIGHT AND EXTENDS INTERNALLY OF SAID BODY BETWEEN SAID OPENINGS WITH AN END ADJACENT EACH OF THEM, WHEREBY AMBIENT LIGHT REACHING SAID MEMBER THROUGH THE OTHER OF SAID OPENINGS IS TRANSMITTED THROUGH SAID MEMBER AND EMITTED THROUGH SAID ONE OPENING TO SIMULATE THE APPEARANCE OF A LIGHTED LAMP AT THE POSITION. 